Saint Charbel was born in a small village high in the mountains of Lebanon. As a child he herded his family's sheep. In 1851, he left his village and became a Maronite monk.
After ordination, he led an ascetical life for a number of years at St. Maron Monastery in Annaya, near Beirut. In 1875, he was allowed to leave the monastery, to live as a hermit. After 23 years in solitude, he died of a stroke on Christmas Eve in 1898.
